Soil Runoff pH, Flushing to correct lockouts- Why and how to do it!

[tristan1986]

Use your commercial PLANT pH up/down- not the kind for pools- ad add it dropwise until the fertilizer solution is at the correct pH for your grow style.
The ideal 'middle' of each range is given here:
Hydro 5.9
Soilless 6.4
Soil 6.7
If you find your soil, for example, is giving a runoff that is too low, water with fert solution that is lightly HIGH- around 7.2- until you see that the runoff is in the correct range. If the runoff is too HIGH (much less common), use ferts at 6.2 until it improves. It's easiest to do this as a flush- all in one shot.
Be careful of shocking the plants with water that is more than a full pH point off their ideal range, even as a flush solution.

Whats the difference between hydro & Soilless?
Sorry for the newbie question.. Just im using a halo system in hydroton and i believe this is 'hydro' and 'soilless' so am slightly confused..

tristan1986 Reviewed by tristan1986 on 04-28-2009. Soil Runoff pH, Flushing to correct lockouts- Why and how to do it! This is a common question that comes up when troubleshooting, so I thought I'd post up a little summin summin. Why do you want to know your runoff pH? Simple- it's an indication of how your water, fertilizer, and grow medium are interacting chemically. There are 3 measurements that are important to know when you are caring for plants growing in a soil or soilless medium. The first is the pH of your source water. Next is the pH of your nutrient solution after the fertilizers and Rating: 5